platte river

Tom Peterson is Ducks Unlimited’s new regional biologist in the Grand Island, Nebraska office, focusing on habitat along the Platte River. Peterson provides biological input on habitat restoration and enhancement projects on public and private lands. He also assists landowners with implementing a variety of conservation programs on their properties.

SCOTTSBLUFF, NE, Feb. 18, 2015 - For the sixth year in a row, a large group of Ducks Unlimited volunteers, major sponsors and board members gathered in western Nebraska on the North Platte River to enjoy waterfowl hunting, great camaraderie and to help raise money for DU’s important conservation program along the river.

Through its revolving land efforts, DU continues to restore and protect habitat in Nebraska. DU purchases tracts, restores them, protects the property with conservation easements, and then sells them to a conservation buyer, generally within five years.

One of Ducks Unlimited’s strategies for the Heartland Heritage and Habitat initiative area is to engineer wetlands to help balance the water needs of a thirsty landscape. DU recently completed five ponds on Webster State Wildlife Area near Greeley, Colo. These wetlands were developed to provide augmentation water to the South Platte River to offset water being used by a local industry. The 78 acres will also provide habitat for ducks and geese and areas for waterfowl hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy.

The Great Plains Region, headquartered in Bismarck, N.D., was established in 1984 to protect and restore wetlands and grasslands in the United States Great Plains. Today, the GPR carries out conservation programs in seven states that include some of the most important nesting and migration habitat on the continent.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Jan. 7, 2014 – Mike George is now leading Ducks Unlimited’s conservation work in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming as director of conservation programs for those states. George is located in DU’s field office in Grand Island, Neb.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – Oct. 9, 2013 – Ducks Unlimited is restoring and enhancing several tracts along the Platte River in Nebraska thanks to a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET). Partnering with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on the Platte River Wildlife Management Area Partnership grant, DU will remove invasive trees and excavate old remnant slough scars to restore hydrology and the function of wetlands and native grasslands on four wildlife management areas (WMAs).

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – Oct. 1, 2013 – Waterfowl hunting along the Platte River is a long and storied tradition, with some of the largest winter mallard harvests occurring on the Platte each year. Through midwinter counts, we now know that thousands of birds visit the river for short periods before continuing their journey south in the fall. Along the North Platte, certain areas over-winter mallards and geese that will not travel any farther south. When spring arrives and these birds begin their journey north to the prairie breeding grounds, they must be in top condition to ensure nest success. With Nebraska being one of the last stops before the Dakotas and Canada, it is critical to understand where, what type and how much habitat the state needs to ensure strong waterfowl populations.

DENVER, Colo. – July 18, 2013 – Ducks Unlimited’s Colorado staff presented the 2013 Partner of the Year award to Colorado Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) and PFW State Coordinator, Bill Noonan. A celebratory luncheon was held in Denver with representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Water Conservation Board and DU volunteers, including board members and the state chairman.

Ducks Unlimited and the Platte River Basin Environments Inc. (PRBE) received approval last September from the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission on a $1 million North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant to restore and protect important wetland along the North Platte River.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – June 18, 2013 – Mikkel Anderson, of Aurora, Colo., was elected to Ducks Unlimited Inc.’s national board of directors during the organization’s annual convention held recently in Portland, Ore.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. – April 30, 2013 –The Oregon Trail Community Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to Ducks Unlimited to support acquisition of the Tottenhoff property and an associated restoration project. The Tottenhoff property comprises 256 acres along the Platte River in Scotts Bluff County, a priority area for DU because of its value to migrating waterfowl. The property has additional value because it is adjacent to an existing wildlife area, Spotted Tail Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA), which is owned and managed by the Platte River Basin Environments (PRBE).

In September, 2012, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission notified PRBE that they approved the North Platte River Wetlands project proposal. This approval will grant $1 million to restore and protect important wetland habitat along the river.

Ducks Unlimited has permanently protected more than 400 acres of important waterfowl habitat, including almost 1 mile of Platte River wetlands, thanks to the generosity of Lou and Carmen Kleager from Scottsbluff.

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